Mr Slow
by PeacesShadow
Summary: Axel's just trying to survive life but someone just seems to be a constant obstacle in achieving that. Circumstances lead to him being stuck with the guy, and he learns some very valuable life lessons.


Disclaimer: I don't own Kingdom Hearts.

**Mr. Slow**

**Chapter One**

***Axel's point of view***

I grumbled to myself as I perused the pharmacy aisles of the campus Rite Aid, searching for the correct brand of allergy medication. Honestly the store's organization seemed to have little rhyme or reason and after a frustrating fifteen minutes of scanning, I eventually gave up in search of someone with a road map.

Unfortunately, it was ten minutes 'til closing and the only noticeable staff were the cashier at the far end and a guy running the vacuum. Usually I'd go for the cashier since the other looked busy, but he was closer and I was annoyed.

_If they organized their story better, I wouldn't have to interrupt him,_ I rationalized.

I made my way towards him and as I got closer, I noticed that he had a set of earbuds in his ears.

_This guy's listening to music on the job? I don't feel bad about bothering him anymore._

"Hey!" I called out to get his attention. When he didn't so much as twitch in my general direction, I tried again, this time a little louder. "Hey!"

Still nothing. The guy, looked a bit like a high school kid actually, about fifteen? He was rather short and tiny. And he had a headfull of crazy, blond spikes...not that I could talk myself.

_Stupid ass has his music up too loud to hear me._

Fed up with my shopping trip, I walked right up to him and tapped him on the shoulder. He gave a bit of a cry and jumped half a mile. Once bother feet were once again on the ground, he spun to face me, eyes wide and confused.

"Hey, take those out for a minute so I can talk to you," I snapped, pointing to the earbuds as I said so.

He looked even more confused at first after I said this, but eventually removed the hearing obstructions. He then gave me a "And you're bothering me why?" look.

"I need allergy pills and the shelves are too disorganized for me to find them. Can you point them out?"

A blank stare was the only response I received.

"Allergy medication? Can you tell me where that is?"

Nothing.

_God this boy is dense._

I decided to speak very slowly to see if maybe I could get through to his thick skull. I doubted it would, and was already making plans for getting the cashier, but I gave it one last shot. "Can you show me where the allergy medication is?"

Something penetrated past that dense forest of spikes because he sat the vacuum aside and headed down an aisle. I followed him, hoping to get out of here quickly. I was so done with this trip.

Somehow, he managed to lead me right to them.

_He must not be as stupid as he seems, _I decided. _Or at least he can navigate this clusterfuck of a store, anyway._

But then I became annoyed to find that they don't even carry the kind I need.

_Great! So this whole aggravating trip was a waste of time!_

With a huff, I turned around, mumbled a "Thank you", and headed to the front. The cashier, a freckly brunette with curly locks, flashed me a smile as I moved towards her territory, but I ignored her and went straight to the door.

The cool night air hit me as I exited and I let out a growl of frustration.

"Damn it! It's pollen season and I have no allergy medication!" I mumbled under my breath.

I continued steaming, muttering to myself, the entire walk back to my apartment. My allergies made the trip all the more miserable. Once home, I took one look at my roommate making out on the couch with his random chick of the night and be-lined it straight to my room. I did not feel like dealing with his player habits tonight.

My room was stuffy, but I couldn't open a window lest it ignite my allergies full wrath. I stripped to my boxers and flopped onto my bed, tired and miserable.

Sleep was difficult to achieve.

* * *

A few days passed by and I finally got my allergy pills by managing to hitch a ride with my roommate and his chick of the night on a run to Wal-Mart for condoms. The trip was…awkward to say the least with the two of them practically groping each other right there in the store, but I got out with my eyes mostly intact.

The next morning, I found myself in the library, looking for a book I had checked out last year for a history report. I had used I good portion of the content from that report in my ethics report due later today and needed the bibliography info since I hadn't bothered saving that page.

_Who knew I'd need that?_

The computer claimed the book was in stock, but when I got there, I found it missing. Panic swept me as I realized that I couldn't turn in my report without that information. I'd have to re-write the entire thing and I only had two hours to do so, not nearly enough time.

"Shit!" I muttered panicking.

But, if it wasn't on the shelf or checked out, then theoretically, it was still here...with a student.

I scanned the immediate area but no one seemed to have the book I was searching for. And so began my scavenger hunt in the library. I swept through every floor, checked every table, beneath all of the furniture, and even rechecked the computer and shelf a few times to be sure it wasn't checked out or returned. But it was gone.

But finally, I saw it, in the hands of someone I hoped I'd never have to see again.

Once again having his ears plugged by those music-emitting devices, the small boy with blond spikes was sprawled on a couch, reading through my book.

_He goes here? Damn! I thought he was in high school. He looks so young…._

Maybe he was some prodigy. It didn't matter. I needed that book.

"Hey!" I half yelled, trying not to raise my voice too much seeing as it was a library. This wasn't the project floor either where you were allowed to talk in normal voices. This was the quiet study area. He of course had to be here.

Naturally, I received no reaction and had to resort to tapping his shoulder again. He dropped the book in surprise and almost fell off the couch. I would have been amused had the situation not been so dire. I only had a half hour left to get that info, type it up, and run to class and my next class was of course not one of the close buildings. I also had one of the stickler professors that didn't allow for work turned in after class began, so I really needed to hurry.

I could see the recognition in his eyes when he caught site of me and a mirrored look of annoyance immediately followed. Hey, I wasn't the one who was too dumb to understand simple English.

Then again, maybe he didn't speak the language that well. He didn't look foreign though.

"Can I borrow that book for a few minutes?" I asked, not letting myself get sidetracked.

He looked confused again and I mentally screamed at his stupidity at leaving those damn earbuds in again. How he expected to hear anything with them in was beyond me.

I motioned for him to remove them, which he surprisingly did right away, only looking slightly startled about the idea, like he had forgotten they were there. Maybe they were off and he was just hard of hearing? Or foreign.

Or extremely slow.

Remembering who I was speaking to, I repeated my request, once again in a very slow voice. I even pointed to the book to help further my point. Some girl in the chair to the right of us gave me a look, but I ignored it. She didn't know how necessary it was to speak like that to the kid.

He looked down at the book somewhat thoughtfully, but then handed it to me, seeming a bit put off. I quickly thanked him and hurried to a clear nearby table to write down what I needed. In no time, I had my notebook and pen out and was scribbling down the contents from the copyright page. I heard some breathing above me and was startled to find the slow kid standing behind me, watching me.

"What do you want?" I tried not to growl. He had lent me the book after all.

Surprise, surprise, I didn't get a response and I began wondering if maybe the kid really didn't speak English all that well. I tried again slower, but I didn't get anything from that either. Actually, I could see out of the corner of my eye that he wasn't even looking at me but my paper.

Whatever. I needed to finish this and type it up before class.

I wrote down the last few words and handed it back to the one over my shoulder. I didn't bother taking in his face as I once again gave a quick "Thank you" and took off.

I managed to get everything printed out and made it to class with a minute to spare, but my bitch of a professor had started class early and refused to take my report despite me pointing out the time.

I took my seat and silently sizzled until class ended. Brooding her demise, I stormed out of class and down the quad towards a fry stand. I needed something horribly greasy and artery clogging to help me calm down. I switched my thoughts from the bitch's horrendous possible deaths and to the mouthwatering goodness that was deep-fried potatoes coated in globs of cheese and bacon. I was so focused on my future release that I missed the short blond before me.

We collided, and being the bigger of the two, I found myself pinning him to the hard concrete.

"Shit!" I rolled off of him, groaning in pain. I had managed to scrape my hands and slam my knees into the ground. A few passerbies giggled, and I gave them a death glare. Then I turned to the one I had tackled and found it to be Mr. Slow.

_Can this day get any worse?_

I straightened up and looked at him. He had been throw straight on his back and was getting up slowly, wincing.

"You okay?" I asked, remembering to speak slowly. Despite my efforts, he didn't respond and instead continued working on getting up. He got to a sitting position and checked himself out. I winced as I saw some nasty scrapes along the back of his upper arms and wondered if he hit his head.

_That's just what I need right now, to give this kid brain damage._

He finally acknowledged me, and there was a look of exasperation that accompanied it.

Okay, so he apparently disliked me about as much as I did him. I can't say I didn't deserve that. I have been a bit of an ass, but he was kind of insufferable.

I repeated my question now that I had his attention, saying it that same way I had the first time. He stared at me for a second and then reached to the back of his head. When his hand returned, there was blood.

_Shit!_

I made him bleed, and it was a head wound, which meant I really might have given him brain damage.

I got up, ignoring the screams of protest my bruised body put forth, and moved to see his head better. He pulled away, probably afraid I'd do more damage to him.

"Relax. I'm just checking your head." I enunciated each syllable to be sure he got it all.

He seemed reluctant, but allowed me to get behind him regardless.

The quad was clearing out now with classes having started, and only a few students were in the area now, and most were either oblivious to the blood on the curb or were just staring dumbly as the passed by. Yep, this was the future of our country. Too stupid to help in a potential emergency or even ask if assistance was needed.

Focusing on the kid's head, I could see a decent amount of blood, but I didn't know if it was bad. I wasn't a doctor, and head wounds tended to always look worse than they were because they bled like a bitch. However, I figured that it would be a good idea to get him to one just in case it was bad.

I moved back to face him. "Hey, I'm going to take you to the Wellness Center."

He looked confused, but when I held out a hand to pull him up, he took it. With his hand still on mine, I pulled him in the necessary direction. He resisted for a halfhearted tug, but complied quickly enough.

Soon enough, we were at the center and I was checking him in.

The nurses were on him soon enough and people were sent out to clean up the mess we'd left on the concrete.

Oops.

I waited for him in the front office while he got checked out, feeling responsible for any care he might need over the next few days. I was silently praying that he would be perfectly fine and I would get off scott free, but there was no way in Hell that would happen, not with the luck I seemed to be having.

_If only I had be paying attention to where I was going._

He finally came back out with the nurse.

"Are you okay? You don't need to go to the hospital, do you?"

He seemed at a loss and turned to the nurse for help. She got the message.

"There wasn't any extensive damage, but he might have a concussion so he will need someone to watch him for the next twenty-four hours. Other than that, he's fine."

_Concussion? Damn it!_

"I guess that means I'll be taking you home to watch you." I made my words as deliberate and clear as possible without being too slow and sounding condescending. I didn't need this nurse thinking any worse of me than she already did for causing the damage in the first place.

He didn't protest and after the check out papers were filed, I took him by the hand (afraid he's wander off otherwise) and brought him home with me.

Luckily, it was too early in the day for my roommate to be there, so there was no potentially scarring scene to drag the kid through. I wasn't sure how old he was, but I doubted he had a lot of experience in that area. Not with a brain as slow as his.

But who knows? Maybe girls dig that.

I took him to the kitchen where my medicine cabinet was, and started searching the cabinets for Advil.

"I'll give you some of these for the headache I can imagine you have, though you'll have to let me know if you need anything else, like if you're nauseous of something." I found the bottle and flipped the cap.

"You can sleep in my bed I guess, and I'll….sleep somewhere else, I guess." Two pills where pulled out and I turned to give them to the blond boy seated on one of the dining chairs.

He stared at it, looking concerned.

"It's Advil," I told him. "For the headache."

He seemed still unsure, but took them from me.

"I guess you'll need some water for those," I muttered, going for a glass. I returned with the drink and he took that more readily. He swallowed the pills soon afterwards.

I took the glass and returned it to the sink while asking "How are you feeling?"

No response came, a normal reaction from him and I realized that I had never heard the kid speak before. Maybe he didn't speak any English.

I stood before him and said very slowly, "Do you understand English?"

An eye roll. I got an eye roll from that and a nod. He acted like that was a stupid question, but I had to repeat everything I said to him at least twice before I got any type of response so I felt it was a valid question.

"Okay, then why didn't you answer my question?"

He gave me a look that very clearly said, "What question?"

"The one I asked you a minute ago: 'How are you feeling?'" I realized I was picking up a bit too much speed for him, and was afraid he wouldn't get what I was saying and I'd have to repeat it again, but he responded, though in a strange manner. Instead of just answering, which I was beginning to wonder if he even could seeing as he'd never spoken a word, he reached into his book bag and pulled out a notebook and pencil with which he wrote:

**I didn't hear you question because I'm deaf.**

_Well damn. That explains a lot._


End file.
